long time ago ... in the middle of nowhere All the time I was in Australia I've read and heard of many places, which then became for me a bit 'icons ... One of these, and perhaps the only one who thought I'd never seen the famous Nullarbor ...
It 's a place of which little is known ... except that it is a must for those who want to reach Perth from the rest of Australia by land ...
It is not a place any ... The Nullarbor Plain is one of the semi-desert regions of the world's largest ... a piece of limestone without trees as big as Spain, Portugal and France put together ... In between passing three time zones, a railway and a highway was finished to pave just thirty years ago and the occasion also serves as a runway for aircraft landing on ...
In fact, the Highway, the Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor Plain for only a short distance, while the rest of the route follows the coast for the most part, marking the southern boundary of the true Nullarbor ... There
I want courage nor unconscious to take a trip like this ... just want to drive for miles and miles in the middle of nowhere, along roads always straight ... and perhaps a good deal of confidence in their own half, since the last workshop of the Norseman in Western Australia and Southern Australia is the first of a Nundroo ... After 1038 km!
Dani and I decided to trust again in our car ...
After leaving Perth we stopped at Hyden, Wave Rock to see the famous ... a rock shaped like a wave that leaves open mouth on how great ...
the evening was not easy to find a warm place to sleep because it provided the stage, the mining town of Kalgoorlie, the hostels were all full, probably besieged by miners.
Luckily we found a makeshift accommodation in Coolgardie ... a caravan site ... or a very old trailer in a campground that was in pieces ...
The next morning we reached and we went to the Kalgoorlie Super Pit
, the gold mine to open Australia's largest and the world! And 'something really impressive ...
E 'can be seen from the mine and the work of a specially constructed lookout, from which it feels really small in front of the immensity of that place and the giant machines at work. In the city the streets are just huge xchè will be dispatched via trucks and bulldozers giants ...
left Kalgoorlie Once we headed south, where the Eyre Highway from Norseman begins. From then to 1200 km the only towns are only roadhouse and you must drive along the straight stretch of road always longest in Australia ...
He wanted to drive but I confirm that Dani has never turned the steering wheel! =)
The second night is presented for the second time the problem of "where to sleep." There are several alternatives: one is freezing cold and the tent is by suicide ... the Madura roadhouse, where we arrived at sunset, offers only double rooms in a motel $ 75 ... the next roadhouse is about 200 miles and who knows if it has backpackers accommodation cheaper ...
It 's the first time that exceed $ 30 per person for bed and we realize now that our estimates of expenditure will be largely overcome ...
At least we had the bathroom ... a luxury to which I was no longer used ... ;)
The next morning we leave early. As you grind km vegetation starts to grow more sparse and are starting to see groups of kangaroos in the scrub! At the beginning I did not even notice ... I did stop because I wanted Dani to take a picture of the road, and when I slammed the door shut x, outputs are dozens of kangaroos that were hidden behind the low bushes ... I was numb like a fool and I could not even take a picture ...
During the morning we crossed the street and then Mama emu with all the chicks to follow and a dingo ...
There Nature has truly over ...
old Eucla Telegraph Station ...
submerged in the sand ...
After a lot 'of kilometers across the border and we are in South Australia!
As in any self-respecting state line in Australia, something bizarre happens here too ... Probably because the border is in the middle of nowhere, those of South Australia have decided to move the quarantine station that will ensure that the vehicles entering the state are not carrying
fruit or vegetables, in a place for them more comfortable and closer to civilization, 480 km from Border Village!
From here begins the true Nullarbor ...
And there I found myself in front of the show more exciting that 've ever seen in my life ...
In the breathtaking scenery of the Great Australian Bight, the stretch of the longest reef in the world to end the Nullarbor Plain by jumping into the ocean, there were a few meters from the coast, not one or two, but dozens of whales .. . Some were so close you could hear them "talk" ... the other saw in the distance that moved the tail ... others amused themselves by jumping or snorting water ...
Head of Bight is one of the few places in the world where the whales stop, between June and October, during their trip to Antarctica to breed .
Perhaps only those who love animals and nature as I can imagine how it feels to be confronted with the world's largest mammal
But the biggest thrill was seeing these huge creatures to be close and cuddle their young ... is indescribable ...
I would never want to go away from that place ... and in fact the managers of the national park we were locked inside! We had to get out of a secret on a dirt road ... =)
That night we stayed at the Nullarbor Roadhouse, fortunately in a cheap cabin for backpackers!
the evening, while watching the sun that if he went and gave me yet another show of colors, I realized what I was far away from everything and everyone ... and how I felt good ...
The next day we were back to civilization ... the green fields and grazing cows and sheep in South Australia! A
Ceduna we bought a sticker to stick on the machine that says "we crossed the Nullarbor
!
proud of the company, we ventured into the Eyre Peninsula in search of seals at Point Labatt ... 40 km of gravel road where we seriously feared the machine ... Besides, did not even know for sure if the seals were there or not ...
Fortunately we arrived safe and sound, through a hilly area just fantastic, solace from a turquoise lake full of pelicans ... It seals were all right (x luck for me ... if Dani could not even kill me !)... were at the foot of a cliff, sunning themselves smashed on the beach ... very funny!
Along the way we also stopped to see Murphy's Haystack, which I call it a crazy xchè had exchanged for bales of hay, yet another curious rock formation that you do not know how to give an explanation ...
The night we stayed at Kimba, seemingly silly and strange place, but where the hostel was full ... usual bad luck that has accompanied us almost the whole trip! Terrified by what we would
could cost another night in a motel we have accepted the accommodation camping in a caravan ... despite the lady had warned that there would have been cold! We are literally frozen!
The problem with these trailers is that colder inside and out! Damn!
The next day, at Port Augusta (the country was historic because three months before we recorded our car!) Finally starts to resume operating the mobile phone and we put ourselves in contact with the outside world ...
Here we choose a small program out ... Since we had to spend two days in the gray and rainy Adelaide to meet with our Korean friends of Waikerie, why not make a detour to the Flinders Ranges? Why not ...
So we spent the day there ... we saw some lookout, some Aboriginal rock carvings and we had a nice walk to Wilpena Pound ... The latter is a natural catchment area of \u200b\u200b80 square kilometers, surrounded by cliffs that rise over 500 meters (the
aerial photos of this place are spectacular!)
A place unlike any other we had seen until then: very green, full of forests and vegetation and very relaxing!
Obviously there was no room in the hostel of Wilpena to spend the night ... At that point it begins to creep in on me doubt that some bus of tourists was following us from Perth (it is winter, cold weather, the street does not meet anyone and hostels are always full ... how is it possible?)
This time, however, not all is bad for harm because they are placed in a nearby village, in Quorn, where, being low season, we had the whole hostel x us! Sun beds while watching tv on the couch with a nice warm blanket (even though it's winter heating is an option!) Seemed a bit 'to be home ...
In Adelaide we met for lunch with Julia Wood and Betty ... it was really nice to see after a month and tell us what had happened Waikerie to during our absence!
They took us to eat at a Korean restaurant where they ordered the whole order (the Koreans, or perhaps Asians in general have a habit of ordering everything that's on the menu, so then everyone tastes a bit ' of what they want !)... everything was exquisite ...
It 'was hard to say goodbye the second time ...
Once the rain left Adelaide took us up to Mt Gambier ... Here we try an unusual experience ... we sleep in a hostel housed in a former prison!
But despite the gloomy appearance the place is really welcoming and Mt Gambier has really surprised us with its incredible gardens underground ...
Along with Mt Gambier also salute the South Australia and we are for the first time in Victoria ...
From the border we reached Portland by a scenic road (no more coming!) Among the pastures of cows and then we allowed ourselves a few brief stop at the towns of Port Fairy and Warrnambool! From Warrnambool
begins the legendary Great Ocean Road, the scenic route of Australia's most famous ... Thought to do it all in one go, instead we are enchanted by the beauty of the Shipwreck Coast ... with its stacks and natural arches in the middle of the sea, the caves dug
water, beautiful reefs and the power of the ocean ..
.
all accompanied by beautiful rainbows that inexplicably continued to appear at every turn ...
So we stopped in Port Campbell (again, we find an accommodation of luck because two out of three hostels were closed x-season!), But not before going to photograph the famous "Apostles" to the sunset! Unfortunately the clouds were not forgiving, but the sight of that place with the threatening weather and rough seas could not be more appropriate ...
Once you leave the area of \u200b\u200bthe Great Ocean Road Port Campbell fold inward, through the rain forest of Cape Otaway, home to a lot of koaletti ...
Following the path becomes more tortuous and when you leave the rain forest begins to follow the coastline, passing through the picturesque resort of Apollo Bay, Lorne, Anglesea and Torquay surfer's paradise ...
Before arriving in Melbourne we stopped to find out what they were in Geelong the famous painted bollards described by Lonely Planet!
These ...
